ASTON Villa will look to Randy Lerner's trusted assistant Paul Faulkner in a bid to fill the void caused by the departure of chief operations officer Michael Cunnah.

It will be a clear sign Lerner is to become more hands-on at the club. Director Cunnah left yesterday after just six months.

It came hot on the heels of the departures of fellow board members Richard FitzGerald, Bruce Langham and long-standing servant Steve Stride, who all carried out similar roles at the club.

American Faulkner arrived at the club with Lerner and has taken a progressively more hands-on role at Bodymoor Heath in recent months.

In his favour he is understood to have forged a strong bond with manager Martin O'Neill.

Cunnah's all-too-hasty exit though offers up more questions than answers.

The former Wembley chief executive was brough in to help revamp Villa Park in December and has been instrumental in carryiong out a detailed survey of how the club can maximise revenue without the need to expand.

That has led to 400 seats being taken from season-ticket holders in the Terinity Road Stand and earmarked for corporate seating.

His role became all-encompassing as he tackled a number of off-field reviews.

His exit was explained in a short announcement on the club website.

It read: "Having joined Aston Villa last year, Michael Cunnah has been instrumental and enormously helpful in the development of and commercial planning for Aston Villa Football Club.

"As Michael departs to seek new challenges, the club wishes to thank him for his selfless effort and commitment over the past year and wishes him well in future endeavours."

Head of Media Phil Mepham added: "The statement is the statement. I have been told there is nothing more to add."

Cunnah was Wembley chief executive for four years and headed up the building of the new stadium.

Before that he was also finance director at the FA, where he acquired Wembley National Stadium Ltd from Wembley plc in March 1999.

He also led a re-structuring of the FA around a main board of directors and previously held several senior positions at drinks companies Schweppes and Guinness.